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Mark Prior, the second overall pick in the 2001 draft, is expected to rise quickly through the Cubs' system. (Roy Dabner/AP)

That was no small feat, because Prior normally does the humbling, with his right arm. He went 15-1 for the USC Trojans a year ago, became a multi-millionaire soon after the Chicago Cubs made him the nation's No. 2 draft choice, and was fresh off victory in his first professional start.

Tuesday night's setting, however, was different. Prior strode into the NYAC as one of five finalists for the 2001 James E. Sullivan Memorial Trophy, presented every year since 1930 to the top amateur athlete in the United States.

"I've gotten a lot of player of the year awards," said Prior, collecting them since making his last pitch in the 2001 College World Series -- everything from the Golden Spikes Award (top amateur baseball player) to player-of-year citations from every publication.

"But those were all baseball awards. To get this far in the running for an all-sports award is definitely an honor. I thought I was done with the awards, but here's another one, the biggest and the best there is. We'll see what happens, because I know only one baseball player has ever won it."

At the end of the evening, the scroll of baseball Sullivan honorees remained stuck on one -- Jim Abbott, the Michigan left-hander, in 1987.

Michelle Kwan was the recipient of the 2001 Sullivan Award, not an upset considering this was a Winter Olympics year. Kwan failed in her bid to win a Gold Medal in figure skating at the Salt Lake City Games. However, according to one of the hundreds of NYAC board members who cast ballots, the voting actually was conducted before the Olympics, in late January.

Other finalists, all present for the ceremony, included swimmer Natalie Coughlin, gymnast Sean Townsend and miler Alan Webb.

"I can't be disappointed at all," Prior said a few minutes after the announcement. "With everything Michelle has accomplished, she deserved this.

"It was a great honor, huge, just to be included among the finalists. I know they started out with 30 nominees, and when they told me I was one of the five finalists, I was like, 'Wow.'"

That indeed was a distinction. In addition to Abbott, the Cards' J.D. Drew and the Phillies' Pat Burrell have been the only other baseball finalists in the award's 72-year history.

That may seem odd, but remember that Kwan became only the second figure skater to win the honor. The first, Dick Button (1949), was among those applauding her victory Tuesday night. The most popular choices, by far, have been track-and-field athletes, who have walked hom with the award 37 times.

When introduced to the formally-attired crowd, Prior impressed the assembled by saying, "I know I'm the only person here playing a team sport, so I must thank my 24 teammates, without whom I obviously would not be here."

It was not at all surprising to see Prior exhibit such poise and control.

As a collegian, he amazed all not only with the speed and break of his pitches but also their location. In 138 2/3 innings last season, he struck out 202 while issuing only 18 walks.

The Cubs' negotiations for this talent were protracted enough to keep Prior from making his pro debut last season. So when he won his first pro start on Sunday in Jackson, Tenn. ("There are a bit more people in a block here than in the whole town."), he was pitching for the first time in about nine months.

"It was a great experience and a great time. A lot of fun. I was a little jittery, but I was glad to get out there and get going. Pitching in games is a lot different than throwing bullpens," said Prior, who returns to Jackson Wednesday morning and is scheduled to make his next start on Friday.

No one expects him to be in Double-A for long.

"The Cubs didn't say a whole lot to me (in Spring Training), but they were very complimentary toward me," Prior said. "They thought I handled myself well for being in my first training camp.

"They said, 'If you go down there and bust your butt, you might have a shot at getting back to the Majors this year.' But they didn't set up any timetable."

Those who have seen Prior pitch have a pretty good sense of that timetable, with or without a Sullivan Award: Fast.

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.